


roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine

by lizimajig



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dating, Domestic, F/M, Fitzsimmons Secret Valentine, Kid Fic, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 21:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3462917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizimajig/pseuds/lizimajig
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Fitz tried not to stare. He really did. His first impression of the A&E doctor while his daughter was in pain should not have been "very pretty" but, here they were. </i>
</p><p>Leo Fitz wasn't expecting to meet someone like Jemma Simmons, certainly not on a trip to accident and emergency after his daughter took a spill off the monkey bars. But isn't that life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohfiitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohfiitz/gifts).



> Pinch hit for [ohfiitz](http://ohfiitz.tumblr.com) in the FitzSimmons Secret Valentine Exchange, with the prompt "singledad!fitz au." I hope this is sort of what you were looking for, Happy Valentine's (slightly late)! I had fun playing around in this sandbox, I hope you all enjoy it, too.

Monkey bars were dangerous, Fitz reflected. A bloody pox on playgrounds; what kind of monster put them eight feet off the ground? And why did girls insist on climbing on _top_ of them, for the love of all things holy? He'd asked Rosie, but all she did was roll her eyes in a manner that was absurdly mature for a six-year-old and told him he wouldn't understand.

Bloody girls. Even his own daughter.

And now they were sitting in Accident and Emergency waiting to see a doctor, her arm in a temporary sling. His annoyance faded away when he saw the look on her face, unhappy and in pain. They'd given her something to make her a bit more comfortable, but he didn't think it helped much. "The doctor'll be in soon, monkey," he told her, smoothing down some of the unruly curls that had slipped out of her pigtails. 

Rosie sniffled. "I don't want to be here. I want to go. I won't climb anymore. I promise," she said miserably.

"I know," he told her. He couldn't blame her, hospitals made his skin prickle and left him awash in things he'd rather forget. If he could have patched her up at home himself he would have, but a broken arm was a bit beyond his scope. "It'll be over soon enough and then we'll go home."

"How soon?" Rosie had never been much of a whiner, but that hovered pretty close to the line. But she was hurting, and he wouldn't have blamed her if she'd been in full blown sobbing like she had when they came in. 

"Well. Soon," he replied uncertainly. "You picked a pretty busy Saturday to crack your arm, bit."

"I didn't mean to, though."

"Yeah, I know you didn't." She flopped against him as dramatically as her injured arm would allow, and he put his arm around her. "Sneezies? I'll hold, you poke?" Rosie nodded, and he pulled his phone from his pocket, opening the game with a touch.

Thankfully, it was not much longer before a doctor appeared around the edge of the privacy curtain around the bed. "Hello! Rosalind Fitz?" she said, and then looked to Fitz. "And... dad?"

He tried not to stare. He really did. His first impression of the A&E doctor while his daughter was in pain should not have been "very pretty" but, here they were. "Yeah," he said, hurrying to slide his phone back into his pocket. "Yeah. Hi."

"'m Rosie," Rosie spoke up politely, as usual far more put together than he ever managed to be. 

The doctor smiled. "Hello, Rosie. I'm Dr. Simmons. They told me you broke your arm. Want to tell me how that happened, then I'll take a look?"

Rosie took a deep breath, and began her tale. "Well. Chelsea and Aspen were the first ones on top of the monkey bars, and they were telling the rest of us we couldn't do it. Madison was the first to get up there with them and suddenly they were hanging out with her instead of Sahara..." 

_Why are all your friends named after places?_ Fitz thought, while she continued her tale of intrigue and playground politics. He was about to tell her to skip forward to the part where she had fallen off the playground equipment, but saw Dr. Simmons listening carefully as she washed her hands and seated herself on the stool in front of them, as though all these details were relevant to the situation at hand. Rosie finally paused, and completed, "And I slipped and fell off and landed on the ground."

"All right," Dr. Simmons said pleasantly, and began to remove the sling. "Did you land on your wrist at all," she started, using her own hand to demonstrate how that might have been, "or just your arm?"

"Just the arm," Rosie said, wincing when Dr. Simmons took it gently and began to stretch it out. 

"I felt her wrist. It was all there it was just... the arm," Fitz added, feeling himself pale a little to see the unnatural angle that Rosie's arm bent at. _Keep it together, Fitz. You go to pieces, Rosie's going to go to pieces._

"I see," Dr. Simmons said, gently feeling around the break. 

His arm tightened around Rosie when she whimpered. "Doing great, monkey," he murmured and kissed her hair. Her little body straightened bravely, and she didn't make so much as a peep as Dr. Simmons continued her exam.

"Well you definitely broke the arm," she said, carefully replacing it in the sling. "I think it was a nice clean break, but I want to take some x-rays just to make sure. X-rays are -- "

"I know what x-rays are," Rosie said. "I don't want to."

"Rosalind!" Fitz scolded her. "Rude!"

"It's okay, Mr. Fitz," Jemma broke in, calmly. "It will be fine, Rosie. We're just taking pictures of your arm to make sure it's okay to put the cast on. Your dad can come with you and stand just outside, if you'd like."

Before Rosie could even turn to ask him, Fitz said, "Sounds good," and he met Rosie's glance then. She nodded. 

"Great!" Dr. Simmons stood, and smiled at them again. "I'll just go make sure things are ready, shall I? Two ticks, and I'll be back." She disappeared around the edge of the curtain again.

"Well, she's nice, hm?" Fitz asked Rosie. "See, doctors aren't so bad. And neither are x-rays. It'll be like taking pictures for Gran."

"Why would Gran want pictures of the inside of my arm?" Rosie said, and Fitz had to admit she had a point.

"Because your gran is a strange lady," he told her.

A nurse came with a wheelchair, and Fitz carefully settled Rosie on the seat. "Ready?" he said.

Rosie nodded grimly, with all the stoic dignity of someone off to face their doom. "And you'll be right there outside?" she asked. 

Fitz started to answer, and he heard, "Mr. Fitz!" He turned, to find Dr. Simmons hurrying in their direction. "I'll be right behind you, right? Right behind," he repeated, and let the nurse take her away for the x-rays.

"I don't want to keep you from Rosie, it's just -- paperwork," Dr. Simmons motioned with the clipboard she held, and offered him a pen. "Consent to treat, and for the x-ray..."

"Right. Yeah," he said, taking them from her. "Thanks."

"Welcome," she said brightly. "She's quite the chatty one, your Rosie."

"Oh, you haven't even seen the half of it," he said, scribbling his name on the marked line. He glanced up at her, and had to look back down immediately. "She's... so bright and talks all the time, it barely even slows down when she's asleep," he continued.

Dr. Simmons laughed. "Most parents would consider that tiresome," she said.

"Well, she takes an interest and nothing'll keep her quiet about it until she's told you everything she knows about it at least twice. I know how that feels, so. I just let her talk it out at me." He waved it off, signing again. 

"Engaged parents are one of the best things a girl can ask for."

"Yeah." He smiled wryly. "My mum says to enjoy it while I can, soon enough she'll be a teenager and not want to tell me anything." One last signature, and he handed the papers back. "I guess I'll take what I can get."

"Yes," she agreed with a smile.

"Um. Sorry, but I've kind of lost the nurse who was taking her to x-ray, which way...?" He motioned.

"Oh! It's just over... I'll take you, radiology's a bit hidden and tricky to get to if you don't know the way," she offered. 

"Thanks," he said, and she led him down the corridor and through the doors. "Sorry about the... she really is a great girl, just... doesn't like hospitals."

"Honestly, it's fine," Dr. Simmons said as they stepped to the side for a patient on a gurney, pushed along by a nurse. "I've seen way worse than her. I've had children try to _bite_ me."

He grimaced. "Well. I thought she'd be too young to remember, but when her mum got sick... well. There was a lot of hospital time before she died, so um." He scratched behind his ear uncomfortably. "I guess something stuck with her."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied, awkwardly. "How long -- "

"No, I'm -- " _Sodding hell._ "It was awhile ago now A few years. Sorry. I don't know why I said all that. I'm not in the habit of spouting off my business to complete strangers. That's sort of weird."

Dr. Simmons smiled at him, just a bit. "I think Rosie might come by her chatty tendencies honestly," she said.

"Ha. That's the truth of it."

He was almost disappointed that radiology ended up being such a short walk, but pleased to see Rosie was still relatively calm. "Daddy you're late," she told him, chiding.

"I know, sorry, bit," he said. "Ready for your x-rays?"

She took a deep, solemn breath. "Yes."

"Brilliant," he told her, letting the nurse take her into the x-ray room.

"Good luck!" Dr. Simmons called after her. "... Not that there's anything to worry about," she added.

"'Course not," he said. "Are you going to put the cast on her, or...?" 

"Oh. No, that'll be the orthopedics person on call. I'm just the emergency doctor," she replied. "I'll... tell you what, though." She took a small notepad from the pocket of her jacket. "If there are problems, or... you have any questions... call me," she added, tearing off the number she'd just scribbled down, and held it out to him.

"Thanks, Doctor," he replied, accepting the paper. "I think she'll do. Rosie's a tough one."

"Call me Jemma."

His palms were starting to sweat. He stashed the number in his pocket quickly. "Right. Thanks... Jemma."

Dr. Simmons -- Jemma -- smiled and backed away, before turning and leaving him also in radiology. He could hear Rosie talking a mile a minute to the tech, asking a question about how the x-ray machine worked, and drifted to lean against the wall just outside the door. 

\---

The next day was low key, Rosie a bit woozy from the pain medication and he was just plain exhausted. They talked to his mother on the phone for a bit, and Rosie Skyped with her grandparents, just to give them the details of their adventures in the hospital. Fitz arranged for Skye to come over with pizza, thus successfully finding dinner and someone else to entertain Rosie for a little bit. They sat on the floor in front of the television with Frozen playing, eating their pizza while he answered some work e-mails.

By the time Arendelle had been returned to a beautiful spring and the sisters reunited, Rosie had passed out on the floor, wearing the same sweet, slack expression she'd had when sleeping ever since she was a baby. Fitz indicated he would be right back to Skye, and picked her up carefully to put her to bed.

When he returned, Skye was up on the couch, contemplating the remaining pizza in front of her. "You can't possibly be thinking about eating that," he said.

"And yet..." She picked it up a slice and took a large bite. He made a vague noise of disgust and dropped down beside her. "So when were you going to tell me about the doctor you were flirting with?"

"Ex _cuse_ me?" He turned slightly to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Rosie couldn't stop. 'Dr. Simmons was so pretty, Aunt Skye, I thought doctors were mean but she was nice. Daddy has her phone number. They talked lots'..."

"Okay, first of all," he started indignantly, "Rosie was hurt, I wasn't thinking about flirting -- "

"So she flirted with you," Skye interrupted, still intent on her pizza.

" -- and it's not _her_ phone number, it's... it was if I had questions or there were problems, it's clearly the hospital's number -- "

"Why would she give you the _hospital's_ number?"

" -- and of course she was nice. She was an A&E doctor, dealing with an injured kid," he finished, as though to say _so there._

Skye took that in thoughtfully. "So she was pretty?"

He felt the blush in his cheeks. "Shut up."

"Ha!" 

"Shh, she's _asleep_ for god's sake."

"You thought she was pretty," Skye crowed, pushing his shoulder. "You should definitely get that phone number and ask her out. Right now."

He grimaced. "Skye -- " 

"Fitz!"

"It's just not a good time, Skye." He avoided looking at her, concentrating on the toes of his socks. "I'm... it's busy at work, my daughter is so obsessed with the link between being able to climb on top of the monkey bars and having friends that she's gone and broken her arm -- "

"Okay, clearly that last one is a problem, but the other thing is crap and you know it," Skye told him.

He didn't answer, couldn't even come up with the words for the emotions that sat heavy and knotted in his gut. "Fitz," she started quietly, and he felt her take his hand in both of hers, "it's been -- "

"Yeah, I know how long it's been, I just -- " He stopped in the middle of his snap, because Skye was only being helpful -- or trying to be, in her way. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," she insisted. 

"If Rosie gets attached to someone, and it doesn't work -- "

"You mean if you get attached and it doesn't work," she interrupted. "It's fine to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

"Fitz."

He huffed in annoyance. "I'm not saying it wouldn't suck, because it would, but she already knows that relationships end," Skye continued gently. "If nothing else, she can learn life goes on, and relationships can end in a way that's not... you know... death."

Fitz winced to hear it, but she wasn't wrong. "So now it's an object lesson for Rosie?"

Skye sighed, and let go of his hand. "Fine, I'll drop it. But you should consider it, if you liked her," she said. "You are a great dad, you are the _best_ dad Rosie could have, but you deserve something for you, too. Like." She lowered her voice. "When was the last time you got laid?"

" _Skye._ "

"No, you're right, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that one and it's depressing," she said, and continued before he could interrupt. "All I'm saying, is that you're great and you deserve a great lady and you don't have to do everything alone."

"Well thanks to you I'm hardly ever alone, even when I want to be," he replied dryly.

"You're welcome."

"That... wasn't a 'thank you'."

"I know, I'm taking it as one."

He sighed. "If I say I'll consider it," he started, "will you leave it alone?"

"Only if you mean it."

"Promise," he replied, holding up a hand. "Or do you want a pinky swear? Rosie's been into pinky swears lately."

"Pinky swear it is." She laughed, and they linked their pinkies together. "While you're considering it," she added, sobering momentarily, "just remember she'd want you to be happy like I do."

"I know." Knowing was the easy part. It was everything else that was difficult. He grimaced as she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, ready for the conversation to be over.

Skye laughed. "Some free advice from me to you, Fitz, don't make that face if she tries to kiss you, okay?"

"Well. She's a lot prettier than you are, so -- " He was cut off when she whacked him in the face with a cushion, still laughing.

\---

Fitz kept his promise and considered it, on and off. He thought about it idly in the lab, on his way to pick Rosie up from school, and after she went to bed at night. But the further away it got, and the longer life went on, the easier it was to forget about the smart, compassionate, pretty A&E doctor. Or, not forget -- relegate her to a memory, a fond 'what could have been.'

Until the following Friday, anyway.

"If you want your hair done, get in here," Fitz called to Rosie.

"I can't find my tights!" she shouted back from her bedroom.

"Did you lay them out last night like I told you?" Silence. "Rosie."

"No."

"Then they're in the drawer where they always are," he replied, finally able to start brushing his teeth.

He had a mouthful of mouthwash when Rosie came into the bathroom, tights mostly on and blonde curls in disarray. "Daddy," she started.

"Mm?" 

"Did you ask Dr. Simmons on a date yet?"

If '?' could be vocalized, it would be an accurate description of the noise Fitz made. He hurried to spit out the mouthwash. "Rosie, what are you talking about?"

"Aunt Skye said I had to ask."

He sighed. "Come on, turn around," he said, picking up the comb and motioning.

She dutifully turned and stood in front of him, and he carefully started to tease the tangles from her hair and part down the middle. "Now listen," he said, making sure he had her attention. She was looking at him in the mirror. "Your Aunt Skye is... she means well, we know that, yeah?"

"Yep," she agreed, and started to turn to look at him. He stopped her, and turned her head to face front again.

"Okay. So. We know that, and... that someone can... mean well, and still..." Braiding and holding a conversation at the same time was far harder than anyone gave it credit for. "Still be kind of... "

"Annoying?" she tried to supply.

"Ah. Sure," he agreed, tying off the first plait. Definitely the Rosie-friendly version of what he could have said. "Aunt Skye talked to me too. And I'm thinking about it." She started to turn her head again, and again he turned it back for her.

"Daddy. You have to ask her," Rosie said seriously.

"Rosie -- "

"No, daddy, she was _really pretty_ and she liked you!"

"Okay, well, we know that being pretty is not the most important thing, right?" he said.

"Yes, I know," she said impatiently, clearly having no time for the lesson about beauty being skin deep today. "But she was nice too. I liked her."

"She was very nice," he agreed.

"Did _you_ like her?" She turned again, and he heaved a sigh.

"She was very nice," he settled. "Now turn back around and stay still or you're like as not to end up with this plait on your nose."

Rosie got that surly look on her face, and turned around in silence. He tried not to sigh again and resumed the second braid. "Can I ask you a question, Rosie?" 

"I guess."

"Why is it important to you I ask Dr. Simmons on a date?"

"I don't know," she said, fidgeting. "I just want you to ask her if you want to, before someone else does."

She spoke so earnestly it made him smirk. "Think that'll be a problem?" he asked.

"Yes!" she said. "She was nice. There'll be a boy who likes her and asks her on a date, so you have to do it first."

"Dating isn't a race."

"But it would make you happy." 

His chest hurt a little bit at that, and he hesitated before tying off her second plait. "You make me happy, monkey," he said, kissing her on the head. "Now go fix your tights and get your bag. We're going to be late if we don't go soon."

"Okay," she said, sounding very put upon for one so young. But she trudged out of the bathroom and back into her room.

Fitz rubbed a hand over his face. At this point it would be worth it just to get those two off his back. Also because she was nice, and smart, and definitely pretty. _Imagine how she'd look in regular clothes instead of scrubs._ She'd made scrubs look good, and nobody looked good in scrubs. 

_Lunch,_ he vowed. "I'll do it on my lunch," he told himself firmly. Yes. Good a time as any.

\---

"This was a big mistake," he said to his reflection in the mirror.

"Correction: this was a great idea," Skye said from her seat on the bed with Rosie, who was bouncing with barely restrained energy. 

"Ugh." He pulled off his tie and threw it on the dresser, and began to unbutton his shirt. "I should just call and cancel. This was a rubbish plan."

"No!" Rosie cried the same time that Skye said, "No, no, no, no! Do not do that, Leopold Fitz, I will send every virus I can find to your work computer. Your pop up ads will have pop up ads."

"Skye, when I texted you that we were going to the cinema you sent me a _yawning emoji._ "

"I was being facetious. I'm awful and jealous, you know that," she told him, matter of fact.

"Oh yes, I know," he said, rolling his eyes, and pulling on his third shirt of the night. "That green eyed monster lurks in you. Which one?" he asked, holding up two more ties. "... Or maybe lose the tie?"

"Mm, it is a little office casual," Skye said.

"I think it makes you look handsome," Rosie put in.

"Tie it is," he said. 

"Then definitely go blue. Brings out your eyes," Skye advised.

"Great." His confidence disappeared when he turned back around, and caught a look at the clock. "Oh, bollocks, I am going to be so late -- I didn't say that, you didn't hear me say that," he said over his shoulder the second he heard the two of them start to laugh.

"He said a _bad word_ ," Skye hissed to Rosie.

"I know, I heard!" She giggled.

"You did not, you didn't hear a thing," he said. "Ugh, what am I even _doing._ "

"You're going to the cinema and for food with a nice lady while I make sure Miss Rosie doesn't set the flat on fire."

"Skye."

"Okay, she's here to make sure I don't set the flat on fire, but I am nominally still in charge, right?"

He shook his head, taking his phone, wallet, and keys and pocketing them. "My phone will be on, so if there's a problem, call me -- "

"There isn't going to be a problem," Skye said. "Go. Relax. Have fun."

"I'll be back -- well, not too late," he added, "but make sure she goes to bed on time, yeah?"

"Bedtime on a Saturday?" she asked, and turned to Rosie. "Your dad is weird."

"Skye!"

"She'll be in bed on time," Skye said. 

"Okay," Fitz said, deciding that would have to do. "Be good for your auntie, Rosie."

"Make sure to tell her how pretty she is, daddy," she advised him.

"I'll do that," he told her, giving her a quick kiss. "Behave, you two!" was his last order as he left them in the bedroom.

"Never!" Skye shouted, offended, and as he closed the door, the last thing he could hear was both of them giggling.

\---

This had been an unmitigated disaster so far. As he predicted, he was late (although not as late as he thought he was going to be), and then they stood outside for fifteen minutes picking the movie. They sat down, and apparently had somehow managed to not notice that the movie _was in sodding French._ Even with the subtitles Fitz was lost, but part of that could have been because he kept sneaking looks at Jemma -- who he had remembered to tell how pretty she looked, thank you, and would likely be saying it again. 

They emerged out into the late March night, cool and breezy, like there was rain on the way. He didn't even know what to say; he was way too embarrassed to do anything but apologize and if he started doing that he may never stop and drive her off completely. 

Luckily (or unluckily), she picked up the slack and smiled at him, a bit nervously. "So..."

"I am sorry, I am complete rubbish at films," he told her, letting it out in a rush. "If it isn't animated or a musical or have speaking animals, I don't know about it anymore and I'm sorry. That's what having children does to you."

"Fitz, it's okay," she said, keeping her smile in check. "If I knew that, we could have just gone to see the new Disney," she added, motioning to the poster as they passed by it.

"Oh, hell, Rosie would never forgive me if I saw that without her."

"Okay, no Disney," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear.

His gaze lingered for a moment. "I told you that you look really lovely," he said. "Right?"

She smiled, and he saw her cheeks pink slightly, even in the dark. "You did," she confirmed. 

"Well. Still true," he concluded, with nothing better to add.

"Thanks," she said. "You still wanted to get something to eat, right?"

"Oh, good, so that disastrous outing to the cinema didn't totally destroy your interest in me," he replied. "Yeah, um... any preferences? Or, there's a nice little place just down here on the corner."

"That's fine," she said, and gently looped her arm through his. "And I didn't think it was _that_ bad," she added as they continued on. "Although I thought the sad clown in the corner all the time was a bit much, and when the brother and sister began taking a bunch of baths together..."

" _What?_ "

One look at him, and her laugh burst out of her. It was one of the most beautiful things Fitz had ever heard. "You really weren’t paying attention to the film, were you?"

"I -- " He closed his mouth. "No, not so much," he admitted, and she giggled again. "You got me. That was good. Well played."

"I'd say I do try, but that was really easy. Sorry," she replied.

"I'm used to it. Rosie and Skye gang up on me like they're being paid for the pleasure."

"Is Skye a... sister?" Jemma guessed.

Fitz burst out in laughter. "Well... in a way," he finally managed, opening the door to the little Italian place he'd talked about and letting her in first. "But, no, really. She's... well, Rosie calls her aunt, but she's really our best friend from uni. Mine and... her mum's."

"Ah, I see," she said. "What did you study?"

"Engineering," he said, pretending not to notice her surprised but pleased expression when he pulled out her chair for her. "And you, you have... well, clearly you have the doctor thing going on..."

"Yeah. Well," she hesitated, and added, "Twice, actually. PhD and an MD."

He actually felt his heart skip a beat. "Oh wow," he said. "That's. How old are you?"

"Not that old!" she protested. "I was just... rather young when I started uni. I studied biochemistry because it interested me, and then decided I wanted to be a doctor."

"How old were you? Do I want to know?" he asked.

She looked on the verge of embarrassed to give the answer, and he was about to apologize again and tell her to ignore him when she said, "I was completely done with both degrees by twenty."

He didn't know what else to say to that. "That's. Wow."

"I know, I hate saying that," she said hurriedly. "People think I'm showing off, or lying, or both so I just tend not to -- "

"Bloody idiotic thing to lie about," he said. "It's amazing. You should be proud of it."

Her smile was small but grateful, like he'd just given her some good news he didn't even know he'd had. "Thank you." 

"I mean." He motioned. "I took my A-levels when I was fifteen -- clearly not as early as you -- but I was always so bloody bored in school. Getting to start uni was such a relief."

"I know! I felt the same," she said emphatically.

He couldn't help but smile a bit. "You were always smartest in the room, too?"

"Well, I don't know that I would take it that far... Sometimes. Yes. Quite often," she amended, and he laughed quietly.

The rest of dinner was fine; Fitz barely noticed what he ate, if anything. He was far too enraptured with Jemma, and pleased to find out that beyond being beautiful and intelligent on a slightly intimidating level (but in a good way) they had actual interests in common, from the mundane (Doctor Who) to professional and intellectual (when she found out he worked on nanorobots for biomedicine, she asked so many questions his head spun around). Despite the less than stellar beginning to the night, it was turning out really well and he couldn't be more pleased.

A lull hit once they left the restaurant, the last of her laughter at what he'd just said giving way to the noises of the busy street at the other end of the block. But for a moment she smiled at him and he smiled at her, and it clicked. _That's it. That's what it feels like,_ he remembered. He didn't want to leave. "So..."

"Not that I'm not enjoying your company, but I should let you go," she said, although regretfully. "I'm sure you have to report back to Rosie and Skye," she added, teasing.

"Ha," he chortled. "Yeah, well. That isn't completely wrong." He rocked back on his heels, to the balls of his feet. "Am I going to see you again?"

"I do hope so," she replied, hopefully. "Am I going to see you?"

"Try to stop me," he told her, and took in a sharp breath when her smile grew. 

"That's. Really good news." He heard her trying not to laugh, and he felt a bit like doing so himself. It felt like being a teenager again. "So. Good night?"

"Can I take you home?" he asked. "Er. I mean, to your house. Not mine. Mine's rather crowded at the moment. Not that it'd be..."

"I don't live far," she said, rescuing him from embarrassing himself further. "Besides, I'd want to invite you in. And then..."

"I'm familiar with 'and then'," he assured her. "Good night, then."

"Good night."

Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth, a bit longer than friendly but not nearly as long as he wanted to. She returned the kiss, mouth slightly opened and a smile slowly blooming on her beautiful, soft lips.

As far as first kisses go, it was pretty great.

She broke the kiss, but didn't seem eager to do so. "I'll see you?"

"Call you tomorrow," he promised. 

"Tomorrow tomorrow or 'in another six days' tomorrow?" she asked with a smirk, hailing a gab with her free hand -- he couldn't yet bring himself to let go of her hand. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you called at all. I was afraid you wouldn't."

"Definitely tomorrow tomorrow," he told her as a cab slowed to a stop at the curb. She gave him another, shorter kiss before reluctantly pulling away and lowering herself into the backseat of the cab.

It was around the corner and gone before he could make himself look away, and release the breath he'd been holding. "Yep. Still got it," he said to himself.

\---

The flat was a bit too quiet when he came back. Not bad quiet, but certainly suspicious quiet. "Hello?" he softly called, and peeked around the corner into the living room. 

Skye was alone, lounging on the couch and flipping through Netflix, casual as you please. "Hey!" she said, softly. "How was it?"

"It went well," he said. "When did Rosie go to bed?"

"Fitz, I'm a little offended that you think I can't get a six-year-old to sleep -- "

"Skye."

"Fifteen minutes ago."

"Okay," he replied, turning back to head for his daughter's room.

Skye sat up quickly. "She wanted to wait up for you and find out how it went! Don't get all cranky daddy about it."

"No one's in trouble," he said. "Relax, I'll be back in a minute."

Rosie's door was open a crack as usual, enough to let some light from the corridor in but closed enough to keep most noises out. Fitz slipped inside, and sat on the bed next to the unmoving lump of Rosie underneath her blankets, and stretched out. "I know you're not sleeping, Rosie, come on out."

There was a moment of silence, but she slowly emerged like a sheepish butterfly out of a cocoon. "You said no one was in trouble," she reminded him.

"You're not in trouble. Just this once," he added, lest she get any ideas. "Did you have fun with Skye?"

"Uh huh." She relaxed, and looked up at him. "Did you have fun with Dr. Simmons?"

He smiled a little bit -- partly at the memory of the fun they had, but partly happy to share it with Rosie. "Lots," he said. "She wanted me to tell you hello for her."

Now Rosie smiled too. "Good. I _told_ \-- " She stopped to yawn widely. " -- told you."

"Yeah. As long as I have you and Skye to badger me into things I can't go wrong," he teased her. "Go to sleep. I'll tell you more about it in the morning."

"Okay. Love you," she responded, biting back another yawn.

"Love you too, monkey. Kiss?" She obliged with a kiss on the mouth, and then laid back. He tucked the blankets around her in a more orderly fashion, and left her to sleep as he was drilled for every detail of the night by Skye.


End file.
